Justin Thomas returned to competitive golf after 158 days away due to back surgery, posting a 7-over 79 in the opening round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The two-time major winner cited rust and putting woes as key factors in his disappointing performance at Bay Hill Club & Lodge. Despite some positives in his short game, Thomas faces a challenging path to make the cut.
ORLANDO, Fla. — Justin Thomas made his first competitive start since undergoing a microdiscectomy to address a disc problem, marking 158 days away from the game. His return came at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, one of the PGA Tour's signature events held at the demanding Bay Hill Club & Lodge.
Thomas carded a 7-over 79 in the opening round on Thursday, his worst score relative to expectations after such a long layoff. It was his first action since the 2025 Ryder Cup, where he recorded a 2-2-0 record for the U.S. team at Bethpage Black. Tied for last place with Aldrich Potgieter and Pierceson Coody, Thomas endured six bogeys and two double bogeys, including mishaps at the par-4 11th and par-5 15th.
"It kinda sucks, to be honest," Thomas said afterward. "Obviously not how I expected it to go. But the rust aspect, kind of unfortunately, was a little bit of what I anticipated. It is what it is."
Putting proved particularly troublesome, as Thomas lost nearly four strokes to the field on the greens. He struggled with speed on the surfaces, missing several putts from inside 10 feet at holes 1, 7, 10, 11, and 13, and converting just 58 feet of putts total. Mental focus waned on the back nine, where he shot 5-over 41.
"I could not keep my concentration for the life of me on the back nine," Thomas explained. "I just had a couple times I had to back off because I just would kind of walk into the shot and have no idea what I was even trying to do."
On a brighter note, Thomas ranked fourth in Strokes Gained: Around the Green, showcasing his familiar creativity in the short game without signs of rust. The tournament features a 36-hole cut to the top 50 and ties, giving Thomas a Friday morning tee time at 7:30 a.m. ET to improve and advance to the weekend.
